Porch
by Only Sometimes
Summary: Ponyboy stepped out of the party seeking the comfort of a cigarette, but ended up finding someone who was even worse shape than he was...


My first one shot in the realm of Outsiders...pretty exciting...ish...At least pretend it is. Feel free to review, or just read. I can't really control it, so I'm just not gonna beg. Also, please forgive the spelling mistakes and typos. What I use to write on does not have spell check, believe it or not, and I'm unreasonably tired.

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Ponyboy stepped out of the party onto the porch. He was in a house he'd never seen before, yet was comftorable enough to consume three beers in two hours in. His friend Two Bit had dragged him here as a way of making him feel better, but it wasn't really working. 

At the party he just felt out of place and overwhelmed. The music was too loud, there were too many people and every so often, one of the cowboys would raise his beer up and yell "FOR DALLAS!" and then everyone else would raise their beer up and repeat.

Two weeks before had been the funeral where most of these people had been standing around uncomftorably in their nicest shirts and jeans, not sure what to do. Now they were all mourning in their own way: drunk and loud. Occaisonally someone would ask about the kid, meaning Johnny Cade, and someone would always say something about a fire, and the answer was always a nod and another swig of beer.

Ponyoby felt out of place whenever he watched Two Bit talk to another girl, his arm always around her, both of them laughing as if they'd never heard something so funny in either one's life.

Out on the proch he breathed in the fresh air, and then lit his cigarette. The porch felt cramped, and he could still hear the party roaring on inside, so he walked down to the front gate, out into the moonlight and away from the noise. He just stood at the gate, leaning on it, trying to avoid the parts in the gate that stuck out, ready to cut the flesh and wreak countless infections.

There was a small noise that was oddly familiar, but Ponyboy couldn't quite place it...And then again. He looked around, trying to place it. It was a small noise, soundedly vaugley like squeaky tires on Two Bits car, but he could see that parked just down the block. No the noise was sadder than that, like a lost puppy calling for help...

That's what it was, it was crying. Someone was crying...Ponyboy searched around, eyes darting from place to place. There was the source, sitting on the porch of the house right next door.

She looked small, this girl. She was curled up on the porch swing next door, sitting under the one light the worked. She just slowly rocked back in fort, whimpering as if in great pain. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, but she seemed to be out of tears. Her dark brown hair was matted back with sweat, despite the cold creeping through the air already. She had wrapped herself in an old quilt with blood stains that could have been older than her.

"Uh, hey." Ponyboy called over, walking towards her. "You okay?"

"No." She mumbled back, but he kept walking anyways.

"You need help? You want me to call a doctor or something?" Ponyboy questioned, his hands so far down in his pockets of his jeans he could feel wear a small hole was wearing in his pocket.

"Why'd you think I need a doctor?" the girl questioned, raising her head to look at him. Her voice had a line of defense in it.

"You look like you're in pain, I guess. The way you're sittin'." Ponyboy answered, looking at how tightly her arms were wrapped around her legs as if trying to keep her legs from falling off.

The girl nodded, looking away and she sniffed, whether if was from tears or the cold, Ponyboy couldn't tell.

"I can't see no doctor." the girl finally said, staring off into the stars, not really speaking to Ponyboy at all.

"Why? Scared?" he asked, settling down onto the porch step across from her. The cement was shockingly cold through his jeans, but Ponyboy just ignored it.

"No, I just can't. They'd get me in trouble. Worse than I'm already in."

"You on drugs or somethin'?" Ponyboy questioned confused. She looked pale, but she didn't look like she was a druggie. Besides, no one from this neighborhood could come close to being able to afford anything besides beer and the occaisonal whiskey.

"No, I did somethin' worse." the girl whispered, her body now trembling, "You know who lives in this house?" she asked him, her voice slightly stronger now, but she still sounded like a scared child.

"Don't you live here?"

"Nu uh, this is just a guy who...he's sorta like a doctor...but only...just for girls...who're in trouble...y'know?" the girl choked out, stumbling over her words.

Ponyboy could feel his ears get red as he realized what the girl meant. This was the kinda guy who would get girls out of 'trouble' for a couple hundred bucks. His brother Soda's old girlfriend Sandy had gone to one, and hadn't been the same since. Not that she came around much anymore.

"Oh." Ponyboy finally breathed out.

"Yeah," the girl nodded, her face indicating annoyance and then pain.

"Look, I really think I need to get you to a doctor, my friend's car is--"

"No! I really appreciate this, but you can go! I'm fine!" the girl winced the whole time she spoke and Ponyboy wasn't sure what to do. He had never been much of a drinker, and after that party his senses were dulled. He knew he couldn't just leave her...

"You wanna talk?" he finally asked, hoping she didn't notice that his voice cracked when he asked.

"'Bout what?" the girl asked, leaning back and letting her eyes rest.

"If ain't too hard, you wanna talk about what--what just happened?" Ponyboy hoped with all his might that this wasn't going to cause her to start crying again.

To his surprise, she actually had a weak smile on her face.

"You wanna hear somethin' pathetic?" she said, "Before you got here, I was gonna walk to the bus stop, it ain't but a block away, and then, I looked down the street and saw his car."

"His? Who's?" Ponyboy was confused by the smile still.

"The father's, of course. Must be gettin' drunk next door. Wouldn't surprise me. We only went out a couple times, but he was a charmer, loved parties." she lifted up a finger, pointing to the old beat up car,and before Ponyboy looked down the street, he couldn't help but notice how small and thin her hands were, very delicate.

"That's..." Ponyboy breathed out. He couldn't believe it. Of all the dumb luck, of course, it was _his _car.

Two Bit Matthews.

"Did you tell him?" Ponyboy gulped, not believing this moment.

"'Course not. I told you, we only went out a couple times, and that was a couple months ago. No, I couldn't do that to him. There's no way I coulda...not done this...and who knows what he would have wanted to do? Maybe he'd propose. I ain't anymore ready to get hitched than I am to be someone's mama..." her voice faded out as she spoke, sadness overtaking her face and voice.

"I'm real sorry...are you sure you're okay? I mean, I'll drive you to the doctors...I don't feel right about this..." Ponyboy could feel panic welling up inside of him and he didn't know what to do.

The girl took a deep breath and shuddered with the pain. She was getting weaker, she could feel it. There was no way she could walk. That guy had done something wrong, no doubt. Probably left her still bleeding. She'd die sitting on that porch all night, she knew it.

"I think you're right...I think I need to go see someone 'bout all this pain..." the girl finally said, still wincing with pain.

"I'll go get my buddy's keys! I'll be right back, just don't go anywhere!" Ponyboy practically gulped, nearly tripping over his own feet as he shot up. He jumped the fences between the two yards and ran into the house. The girl gave another weak smile as she watched him. In this situation she couldn't help but feel lucky that it was this kid who happened to go out for a smoke and find her. Although she'd rather not be in this situation at all.

"Two Bit! Gimme yer keys!" Ponyboy insisted, his hand out and ready to receive. Two Bit had settled on the couch next to some blonde girl who was mighty cozy with him there, both smelling of beer and smoke.

"Sure, here ya--wait a minute, you ain't got a license!" Two Bit cackled, his hand in his pocket before realizing he was about to do.

"I know, it's just...that...I gotta drag race, and it's gonna be real tuff. I'd invite ya, but I've got a deal with this guy, but I promise I ain't gonna wreck. You've seen me drive before, you know I'm good." All of this was of course a lie, but Two Bit was so drunk he didn't catch on.

"Aw, shucks, Pony! That is real tuff. You better win! Just like I always do." he added the last part with a wink to the blonde who was attached to him, who burst into a fit of excited and impressed giggles.

Ponyboy grabbed the keys and shot out the party house like a bat out of hell, although he felt like he was running headlong into the inferno.

"Sorry, I wouldn't ataken so long, but it took a second to talk my drunk friend into giving me his keys." Ponyboy said as soon as he reached the girl, still wrapped in her bloodstained blanket.

"You're fast." she said, looking up at him from her seat.

"Yeah, I ran track for awhile...do you think you can walk? I mean, I can carry you to the car if you need..."

"No, no...I'm sure I can..."

The girl stood up, with much help from the railing on the bench she had been sitting on, and shuffled one foot forward before doubling over in pain, her face showing a silent scream. She would have fallen straight to the concrete if Ponyboy hadn't been ready, and scooped her up in his arms. He wasn't at all big like Darry, but he was wiry and able to cary the girl with surprising ease. She was even smaller in his arms than she had been sitting on the porch, and in the blanket almost resembled a baby herself, in a sick sort of ironic way.

"Which car is your friends?" she asked as they made their way through the gate.

'Oh, Christ,' Ponyboy thought to himself. He knew this was going to happen, yet was completely unprepared for it.

"Just relax," he instructed, silently praying that by some miracle she wouldn't remember that she had pointed the very car they were walking to just moment ago.

"This...this is...his car..." she whispered when Ponyboy opened the door to lower her into the passengers seat.

"Yeah, I was hoping you wouldn't notice..." he mumbled back, strapping her in.

Before his eyes she began shaking harder than ever before and her eyes were big with terror.

"I can't--can't ride in this car!" she said, "You won't tell him, will you? Shit, I'm bleeding!"

"No, relax! We'll get to the hospital, and he'll never know...I'll just tell him that I dropped off a guy who was in a fight...one of the guys I raced...he thinks that's why I have his car."

The rest of the ride to the hospital Ponyboy spent trying real hard not to crash. Even though he'd been taught how to drive by Sodapop, he'd never really done it on his own...while still slightly buzzed...and at night...with a shaking girl next to him...

"Oh, thank goodness we're here," the girl said after what felt like an eternity of driving. Ponyboy hopped out of the car as fast as he could and hoped she didn't notice how much he was shaking at this point. He ran around to her side of the car and scooped her out of her seat after unbuckling her, just like he'd carried her before.

Once in the emergency room, the harsh lighting bouncing off the white walls caused both of them to wince before an older nurse bustled over to see what the emergency was.

"I--I...went to a doctor who wasn't exactly professional," the girl confessed, and almost instantly a gurny was in front of them, ready to roll her away. When she was lowered onto it, she wouldn't let go of Ponyboy's hand, so he just ran along with her, failing to notice the blood that was now all over his shirt.

As he ran down the hall he took notice of the room that had held his friend Johnny just weeks before, now it held some Soc with his leg in a cast, looking bored as he flipped through a car magazine.

Ponyboy sat in the hall while the girl was treated, recognizing some of the nurses. When the doctor stepped out of her room, Ponyboy shot up, catching the doctor off guard.

"She'll be fine." the old doctor started, "Be able to have children later, too. Good thing you brought her here, son. Be even better if you hadn't gotten her into this situation." the doctor obviously thought this was Ponyboy's fault, but his voice wasn't harsh or even angry. He seemed more...sad.

Ponyboy nodded vigourously and then shot into the room, ignoring the calls from a nurse down the hall telling him to go home.

"Hey," the girls voice croaked, as she sat up a little in her hospital bed. The room was dark except for overbearing monitors and a street lamp outside that was streaking in through the blinds.

"How're you?" Ponyboy asked, lowering himself onto the bed, careful not to move her or touch. She looked like she could just slip into the sheets and never be seen again.

"Well, the doc says I'll be fine, that I bled a bunch, but should be able to have kids later. That's good, I guess. It don't hurt so much now, but it still hurts. I think they gave me drugs." she answered, her lids heavy.

"Yeah, you look better." Ponyboy told her. It was true, she was slightly pinker, and wasn't shaking at the moment.

"You should go." she finally told him, her eyes dropping closed.

"How'll you get home?" he asked her, concern rushing back into him.

"I'll call my mama. Just tell her I fell. I'll be fine, promise."

Ponyboy just nodded and stood up. He brushed himself off, becoming aware that the overly sterile smell of hospital had made it's way into his clothes. It wasn't until he made his way to the doorway that he turned away.

"I don't know your name." he stated, looking at her as she drifted in and out of light sleep.

"I know. Don't know yours, and don't take this wrong, but don't want to. If you see me again, don't say hi."

"Oh, I guess I'll go..." Ponyboy didn't even bother to hide the hurt in his voice. It was probably just the drugs talking, but he was surprisingly stung by her words.

"No, this came out wrong. I mean, this idn't a night I wanna remember. So if you don't know my name, you won't tell anybody, and if I don't know your name, I won't tell anybody. And then, if we meet again, we'll be meeting for the first time. No one will remember."

Ponyboy nodded, understanding. He wouldn't forget this night, and he would try, but it wasn't likely that he'd be successful.

"Well, bye."

"Yeah, bye."

Ponyboy stepped out of the doorway, quietly closing the heavy, hospital door behind him. He stood there a moment, leaning back, trying to put himself back in order. When he opened his eyes he looked down and realized how much blood was really on his shirt. He looked like he'd just gotten shot, along with a few dozen people who decided to bleed on him. He just shrugged it off and went back to Two Bits car, which had been abandoned in the parking lot in such a hurry he wasn't even sure if the doors were all closed.

The drive home was shorter than the drive there had seemed, but it was still nearing dawn by the time pulled up to his own house. The house was dark except for the flicker of the television in the livingroom, no doubt playing the early morning news, the only thing on at this time.

He was surprised when he opened the door and stepped in the house to find Steve Randall, his brother Soda's best friend, Two Bit, and his two brothers, Sodapop and Darell, better known as Darry all sitting up and waiting.

"Hey, Ponyboy. Bring my car back?" Two Bit asked, looking up from where he was slumped on the couch. His face was the only one that wasn't solemn, even in the dark Ponyboy could tell Darry was angry, Soda was worried, and Steve just wanted to go to bed.

"Yeah, it's out front. All in one piece." Ponyboy answered, leaning on the doorway, suddenly getting hit with how exhausted he was himself.

"You win?" Two Bit asked, a small smile on his face, ready to revel in the victory.

"Uh, yeah. Smoked 'em." Ponyboy answered, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to fight exhaustion.

"So that's where you were? Out racin'?" Darry fumed, standing up from his spot next to Two Bit on the couch. He took a step back once he saw Ponyboy's shirt. "Geez, Ponyboy, what happened?" he breathed out, his anger being replaced with worry as he spoke.

Ponyboy looked down, having already forgotten how his shirt looked. He just shrugged.

"Had to go to the hospital. It ain't my blood, don't panic."

"What, one of the guys were racin'?" Steve asked from his spot draped across the floor, already half alseep.

"Sure, drove to the hospital." Ponyboy mumbled, just wanting the sweet release of sleep.

"Just get to bed, Ponyboy, it's late." Darry finally said, his need for sleep taking over.

Ponyboy turned to go down the hall, but then stopped himself, and turned back around.

"Hey, Two Bit," he started, not quite sure what he was going to say.

"Yeah?" Two Bit responded, his expression goofy even though he was exhausted.

"You remember a girl you dated a couple'a months ago? Real petite, dark brown hair...?"

"Aw, shoot, Ponyboy. You know I date so many girls I can't keep any one of 'em straight. I bet any girl from a couple'a months ago wouldn't remember me even if she saw me runnin' naked through her front yard." Two Bit cracked.

Ponyboy just nodded, not too surprised, yet strangely disappointed. He just went back to his room, curled up in bed, and dreamt of dark haired babies, only to wake in a cold sweat a few hours later, tears running down his cheeks.


End file.
